Glittering array of political authors to appear at Book Fair Nov. 13

Political buffs will be delighted with the lineup of authors who will appear with their new book releases in the Politics and Current Affairs section of the National Press Club's 35th annual Book Fair & Authors’ Night on Tuesday Nov. 13, from 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Among the headliners will be Rajiv Chandrasekaran, author of “Little America: The War Within the War for Afghanistan,” and David Corn, author of “Showdown: The Inside Story of How Obama Fought Back Against Boehner, Cantor, and the Tea Party,” and multi-platinum country star Lee Greenwood, author of “Does God Still Bless the USA?”

Also appearing will be Sen. Rand Paul with his new book, “Government Bullies: How Everyday Americans Are Being Harassed, Abused, and Imprisoned by the Feds” and NPC member Maurine Beasley with “Women of the Washington Press: Politics, Prejudice and Persistence.”

The event is a fundraiser for he National Press Club's Journalism Institute, a 501 (c) (3) organization that provides training, research and resources for news professionals and scholarships for the next generation of journalists.

For a tax deductible contribution of $25, you can become a "Friend of the Book Fair." You will receive a complimentary raffle ticket ($10 value) for a chance to win one of a group of exciting prizes.

Your ticket may be THE ticket that wins one of the prizes -- gift certificates ranging from tickets to Blue’s Alley, Georgetown Cupcake, Chef Geoff's, Clyde's, Hillwood Estate, and Landmark Theater to a curator's private tour of National Portrait Gallery and Dodona Manor.

Click here to become a Friend of the Book Fair.

Admission to the 35th annual fair is free for NPC members, $10 for nonmembers.

No outside books permitted. A full roster of authors participating is listed on the Club's website.

Authors in the Politics and Current Affairs category include:

John Allison “The Financial Crisis and the Free Market Cure: Why Pure Capitalism is the World Economy's Only Hope” $28

Not only is free market capitalism good for the economy, says industry expert John Allison, it is our only hope for recovery. As the nation’s longest-serving CEO of a top-25 financial institution, having served as Chairman of BB&T for 20 years, Allison has had a unique inside view of the events leading up to the financial crisis.

John Avlon, Jesse Angelo and Errol Louis “Deadline Artists: Scandals, Tragedies and Triumphs” $29.95

A Who’s Who of legendary journalists contributed to this collection of stories of some of the most seminal events in American history. From Walt Whitman telling of the grief over Abraham Lincoln’s assassination to Jack London’s description of the aftermath of the San Francisco earthquake, this is classic newspaper writing that combines the immediacy of news with the precision of poetry.

Maurine Beasley (NPC member) “Women of the Washington Press: Politics, Prejudice and Persistence” $29.95

For nearly two centuries women journalists have persisted in their efforts to cover politics in the nation’s capital. At a point today where they represent about half of accredited correspondents, women still face shifting barriers that make it difficult to combine the roles of both women and journalists in Washington, but they are continuing to broaden the definition of political journalism. Show More Show Less

Rajiv Chandrasekaran “Little America: The War Within the War for Afghanistan” $27.95

A Washington Post correspondent who covered the surge of troops from Afghanistan examines what he calls a failing war. It’s a look at the complex relationship between the United States and Afghanistan, with detailed descriptions of how the surge was victim to sabotage, not only by what he says was Afghan and Pakistani malfeasance but by infighting and incompetence within the U.S. government.

David Corn “Showdown: The Inside Story of How Obama Fought Back Against Boehner, Cantor, and the Tea Party” $26.99

The Washington bureau chief for Mother Jones goes behind the scenes at the White House to recount a pivotal period in the Obama presidency, from the game-changing 2010 midterm elections to the beginning of the critical 2012 campaign season—a tumultuous time that tested the president as never before and set the stage for a titanic clash over the future of the nation.

Bob Deans “Reckless: The Political Assault on the American Environment” $12.95

Taking note of contemporary shifts in the GOP, Deans contrasts the recent environmental assault from the Right with the significant environmental regulations supported by past conservative presidents such as Teddy Roosevelt and Abe Lincoln.

Kurt Eichenwald “500 Days: Secrets and Lies in the Terror Wars” $30

Eichenwald lays bare the harrowing decisions, deceptions, and delusions of the 18 months that changed the world forever, as leaders raced to protect their citizens in the wake of 9/11.“500 Days” puts readers at the heart of these historic events, from the Oval Office to Number 10 Downing Street, from Guantanamo Bay to the depths of CIA headquarters, from the al-Qaeda training camps to the torture chambers of Egypt and Syria.

Stuart E. Eizenstat “The Future of the Jews: How Global Forces are Impacting the Jewish People, Israel, and Its Relationship with the United States” $37.50


Eizenstat surveys the major geopolitical, economic, and security challenges facing the world in general, and the Jewish world and the United States in particular. These forces include the shift of power and influence from the United States and Europe to the emerging powers in Asia and Latin America; globalization and the new information age; the battle for the direction of the Muslim world; nontraditional security threats; and changing demographics.

Garrett Epps “Wrong and Dangerous: Ten Right Wing Myths about Our Constitution” $24.95

According the legal scholar Garrett Epps, prevalent myths about the Constitution include that its primary purpose is to limit Congress and there is no separation of church and state These are just a few of the myths Epps tackles, providing a clear grasp of the Constitution and the government it established.

Michael Gordon “The Endgame: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Iraq, from George W. Bush to Barack Obama” $35

Ranging from 2003 to 2012, The New York Times’ chief military correspondent gives us the first comprehensive, inside account of arguably the most widely reported yet least understood war in American history—from the occupation of Iraq to the withdrawal of American troops.

Lee Greenwood “Does God Still Bless the USA?” $17.99

Multi-platinum country star Lee Greenwood offers his personal insights into America's challenges and her future. Greenwood is best known for his patriotic tune "God Bless the USA."

Stephen Hess” Whatever Happened to the Washington Reporters, 1978-2012” $29.95

In 1978 Brookings Senior Fellow Stephen Hess surveyed 450 journalists who were covering national government for U.S. commercial news organizations. His study became the award-winning The Washington Reporters, the first volume in his Newswork series. Now, a generation later, Hess and his team from Brookings and the George Washington University have tracked down 90 percent of the original group, interviewing 283, some as far afield as France, England, Italy, and Australia.

Max Holland “Leak: Why Mark Felt Became Deep Throat” $29.95

Holland reveals for the first time in detail what truly motivated the FBI’s number-two executive Mark Felt to become the most fabled secret source in American history – Deep Throat. In the process, he directly challenges Felt’s own explanations while also demolishing the legend fostered by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s bestselling account.

Michael Lind “Land of Promise: An Economic History of the United States” $29.99

Lind traces the growth of the United States into an economic power, from a weak collection of former British colonies, through upheavals such as the Civil War, Reconstruction, the Great Depression and World War II. “Land of Promise” tells the story through the struggles and achievements of such inventors as Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs; financiers like J. P. Morgan; visionary political leaders like Henry Clay and Franklin Roosevelt; and dynamic policy makers like Alexander Hamilton and Vannevar Bush.

CDR Kirk S. Lippold “Front Burner: Al Qaeda's Attack on the USS Cole” $27.99

The bombing of the USS Cole was al Qaeda’s first direct assault against the United States and expanded their brazen and deadly string of terrorist attacks throughout the Middle East. In this first-person narrative, Commander Kirk S. Lippold reveals the details of this harrowing experience leading his crew of valiant sailors through the attack and its aftermath. Lippold was the Commanding Officer of the USS Cole when it came under a suicide terrorist attack by al Qaeda in the port of Aden, Yemen.

Mike Lofgren “The Party is Over: How Republicans Went Crazy, Democrats Became Useless, and the Middle Class Got Shafted” $25.95

Lofgren, a Republican who worked as a Congressional staffer for 28 years, made news in September 2011 when he angrily quit over the debt ceiling crisis. ”The Party is Over” chronicles a dryly witty account of the radicalization of the Republican party, the failures of Democratic rivals and the appalling consequences for the country at large.

Fred Lucas “The Right Frequency: The Story of the Talk Giants Who Shook Up the Political and Media Establishment” $18.95

American politics was transformed from the time a WABC manager told Rush Limbaugh, "You're kidding yourself if you think we'll ever carry your national show," to the day an establishment Republican senator griped "talk radio is running America." This is the story of a new generation of talkers from Limbaugh to Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck who have worked to define the Conservative movement.

Kenneth Mack “Representing the Race: The Creation of the Civil Rights Lawyer” $35

Kenneth Mack tells the story of African American lawyers who, during the era of segregation, confronted a tension between their racial and professional identities. Their untold stories pose the unsettling question: What, ultimately, does it mean to “represent” a minority group in the give-and-take of American law and politics?

Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein “It's Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the New Politics of Extremism” $26

Congressional scholars Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein identify two problems that have brought Congress to the brink of institutional collapse. The first is the serious mismatch between what have become vehemently adversarial political parties and the governing system that makes it extremely difficult to get anything done. And second, an atmosphere where Republicans refuse to allow anything to pass that might help the Democrats politically.

Robert Merry (NPC member) “Where They Stand: The American Presidents in the Eyes of Voters and Historians” $20Show More Show Less

This trip through presidential history provides an analysis of how presidential politics works and how the country sets its course. It juxtaposes the opinions of voters, the work of pollsters and the judgments of historians against each other.

Alexander Nicholson “Fighting to Serve: Behind the Scenes in the War to Repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" $26.95

Discharged in 2002 from the U.S. Army under the provisions of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” Nicholson was shocked to learn there was no group advocating DADT’s repeal that was reaching out to active military or veterans organizations. Nicholson believed the repeal effort needed spokespersons who understood military culture, who could talk about DADT’s impact on those who serve to those who serve and served. From this idea Servicemembers United, the largest organization for gay and lesbian servicemembers, was born. “Fighting to Serve” chronicles the successful fight for the repeal of the U.S. military's controversial policy.

Senator Rand Paul “Government Bullies: How Everyday Americans Are Being Harassed, Abused, and Imprisoned by the Feds” $21.99

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, takes an in-depth look at the legislation that he believes is trampling the rights of ordinary citizens, strangling their ability to conduct private, everyday activities without government interference. He highlights searches, seizures and arrests, and points to regulations that have been added to the books since Obama took office. He charts a direction out of and toward renewed freedom for all Americans. *Due to a scheduled vote, Senator Paul will arrive at 6:30 p.m.*

Manuel Roig-Franzia “The Rise of Marco Rubio” $25

From his family’s immigrant roots to his ascent from small-town commissioner to the heights of the United States Senate, this biography traces a classic American odyssey. Drawing on hundreds of interviews and documents, Washington Post reporter Manuel Roig-Franzia shows how Rubio cultivated a knack for apprenticing himself to the right mentor, learning the issues, and volunteering for tough political jobs that made him shine.

Hedrick Smith “Who Stole the American Dream?” $30

An eye-opening account of how, over the past four decades, the American Dream has been dismantled and we became two Americas. Smith talks to a wide range of people, from political leaders such as Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich, and Martin Luther King, Jr., to CEOs such as Al Dunlap, Bob Galvin, and Andy Grove, to heartland Middle Americans such as airline mechanic Pat O’Neill, software systems manager Kristine Serrano, small businessman John Terboss, and subcontractor Eliseo Guardado, Smith puts a human face on how middle-class America and the American Dream have been undermined.